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This Friday, February 13th, Little Dave Merriman, (Arrivals, Treasure Fleet, Textbook Committee) will play a release show for his solo album at the Rock Island Public House. The record is called Odd Bird and is coming out on Hewhocorrupts Inc. Featuring a variety of influences, including pop, folk and gospel, the album is a distinct departure from the styles of Merriman’s other projects. At Friday’s show, 50 copies of Odd Bird will be available on limited-edition purple cassettes with digital download cards. The standard yellow cassettes will also be for sale. A portion of the proceeds from the record’s sales will benefit the Dwight D. Eisenhower music program, which is where Merriman was taught by choir director Lynette “Miss K.” Mulder. Odd Bird is dedicated to her, as well as to Merriman’s grandmother, who passed away during the making of the album. Merriman will perform on Friday with his newest group, The Pantomimed Suicides, and plans to play the record in its entirety. Opening the show is an acoustic band called Al Scorch, and Ditches, which features members of Canadian Rifle and Sweet Cobra. Take a listen to a song from Odd Bird below, called “Line It in Chalk.”

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Treasure Fleet just released its third full-length LP, entitled The Sun Machine, via Recess Records. We talked with bassist/singer Neil Hennessy about how the album was written, its recording process and more. The record also serves as the soundtrack to a sci-fi film of the same name, which the band created as well. We discussed with Hennessy about the inspiration for these projects and how they managed to combine the two to form a unified vision. Without question, The Sun Machine is Treasure Fleet’s most ambitious and accomplished project to date. Its influences range from power pop and progressive rock to old Twilight Zone episodes and beyond, resulting in a truly unique endeavor. Check out a song from The Sun Machine after the interview, called “The View from Mt. Olympus.” Continue Reading…

For over ten years, The Arrivals have been a mainstay of Chicago’s punk rock community. With each album they evolve and the latest full-length, Volatile Molotov, represents some of their most ambitious work yet. We discussed the new record with singer/guitarists Isaac Thotz and Dave Merriman, along with a variety of additional topics. The guys gave especially detailed responses and we would like to thank them for taking the time to answer our questions. Also, be sure to check out the video below of the band performing “Children’s Crusade” on JBTV.

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Originally a printed zine from 1998 – 2004, our goal is to provide coverage of Chicago’s expansive independent music community, and to occasionally highlight some of our past work. National and international bands will be featured as well, but above all, we hope to create lasting content for music fans everywhere.